Baseball Game Preview: Naples Golden Eagles vs. Bonita Springs Bullsharks

The Naples Golden Eagles will head out to take on the Bonita Springs Bullsharks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Bonita Springs took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Naples, who comes in off a win.

Naples proved they can win big on Friday (they won by seven) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Evangelical Christian.

Naples got a great performance from CHASE BAKER as he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. BAKER has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.

NICO BLANCO

Runs

02/20/25 vs Golden Gate	3
03/25/25 vs Evangelical Christian	2
03/18/25 vs Cypress Lake	2
03/06/25 vs Aubrey Rogers	2
02/26/25 @ Lely	2
+ 7 more games

At the plate, the team relied heavily on NICO BLANCO, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Naples' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-2 (and 3-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was ETHAN KATZ, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Bonita Springs was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 7-6 heartbreaker at the hands of Community School of Naples.

Alan Palamino was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Angel Moreno was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.

Naples is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.4 runs over those games. Bonita Springs' defeat dropped their record down to 10-7.

Naples took their win against Bonita Springs when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Naples since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.